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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. march — the month
  3. current — electric
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. charge — a price
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. staff — employees
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. face — part of the head
  13. shower — to wash
  14. march — music
  15. shower — rain
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — the month
  18. charge — electricity
  19. roll — a cake
  20. face — to point toward
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. charge — in control
  23. roll — a list
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com